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SOMOGYI Norbert
Red Pepper Research and Development Ltd. Department of Szegedch and Development Ltd. Department of Szeged
6728 SZEGED, Kulterulet 7.
Tel/Fax:+36-62-461835
E-mail:somogyi@freemail.c3.hu
Being of South American origin, paprika or red pepper (capsicum annuum L.) came to Europe - most probably first to Spain - in 1943 after the discovery of the Americas (Pickersgill 1986, 1989). From there, brought over the Balkans by the Turkish, paprika may have come to Hungary. Here, the first plants of red pepper were set at the end of the 1500's. First it was used only as an ornamental plant, growing paprika for food commenced only in the late 17th century and became significant even later, during the war against Napoleon (Somos, 1981). Ground red pepper was brought to the domestic market in the second half of the 19th century, and to the international market, in the early 20th (Szanyi, 1937; Benedek, 1960, 1973). Two main regions of red pepper production developed: Szeged and Kalocsa. Official food analytical work with the ground paprika began in Szeged at the end of last century, whereas variety breeding activity began in Kalocsa in 1971, and in Szeged in the 20's. Since then, about 50 variety candidates, bred nearly exclusively on the base of Hugarian genetical resources, have been submitted for state registration. Of those, 9 sorts are being grown generally at the moment, on ca. 40% of the crop area.
Since 1970, Hungarian spin ca. 40% of the crop area.
Since 1970, Hungarian spice paprika breeding has been performed in Szeged and Kalocsa within the framework of the Vegetable Crops Research Institute. As a result of ongoing work despite multiple reorganization and increasingly unfavourable research conditions, 26 varieties developed by us are in general cultivation in Hungary and two other are awaiting registration.
Up to now, in Hungarian red pepper breeding joint research was done merely in the field of process technology, but - except for an experimental growing in Vietnam in the 80's - research and breeding was performed, also in szeged, without any cooperation using fully or partly the Hugarian genetical background.
With the economic decline from the 80's on, however, less and
less state funds were available for agricultural research and
breeding, resulting in the reduction of research projects. The
political and economic changes in 1990made inevitable that breeding
of paprika, as of other cultivated plants, be self-financed. With
the paprika growing area of stably 5-6 thousand hectares, this
can only be accomplished if we start selling our seeds (with the
necessary guarantees) in other countries and start joint breeding
work with foreign colleagues with the aim of developing and marketing
new breeds.
Research cooperation has been commenced, and is planned to be
commenced, firstly with researc, and is planned to be
commenced, firstly with researchers from countries having a climate
suitable for freerange cultivation of paprika. This is a major
criterion bacause our breeds can be profitably grown only under
such conditions. Professional connections were thus set up mainly
with sciencists in Spain, France and Australia - but relations
to researchers in other countries are presently being built.
Within the framework of bilateral inter-governmental agreements of the Hungarian government, individual study trips of 2 to 4 weeks can be realized by funds applied for at the Hungarian Board of Fellowships. A mutual exchange of scientists is enabled by means of bilateral scientific framework agreements existing, at the moment, with 24 countries. Here, projects for several years are to be approved by the Science and Technology Foundation of the Hungarian National Technology Development Comittee, and travel and living expenses are to be covered from the funds awarded.
A third source is given by the involvement of the foreign producers' (and occasionallyresearchers') circles into cooperation. In such cases, the foreign partner has an interest in the introduction, propagation and cultivation of our varieties in his country, whereas our research expertise and experiences are used in the elaboration of the local growing and processing conditions as well as in breedingand processing conditions as well as in breeding varieties especially for the local demands.
Hungary's gradual integration into the EU makes us potential active
participants of the research in the EU's V. framework, involving
even more intellectual and financial means into Hungarian red
pepper breeding.
The necessary genetical resources and research instrumentation are essential for setting up connections and running them successfully. as to genetics, Hungarian paprika breeds and lines have a genetic value making them suitable for production of ground red pepper meeting even the highest demands. Hence, adapting them to as variable as possible production conditions is an important part of research activity.
Up to the last times, the ongoing recession had a strong negative
influence on the work of our research unit and especially on the
financial situation. Due to the organizational changes early this
year, we can now expect major technical development. Thus, beyond
the existing equipment, we are putting into operation a UNICAM
UV4-500 UV/Visible photometer and new drying boxes. A major development
in informatics will also be possible. All that will provide us
with the necessary background which, together with the plant stock,
makes us equal partners in the scientific programs.
In this chapter, the results achieved in the cooperation programs
realized or commenced by the szeged research unit will be presented.
In every case, the programs needed first the establishment of
personal connetions, and the mutual confidence gained so made
the further work possible.
The Szeged unit commenced international cooperation with the development
of a two years Spanish-Hungarian scientists exchange program proposed
by the Spanish partner. During the program started finally in
1996, thre Hungarian scientists (two from Szeged and one from
Kalocsa) spent alltogether three months in West Spanish province
Extremadura and became familiar with the growing and processing
technologies and the origin and quality assurance systems used
three, the varieties cultivated, as well as the laboratory procedures
and equipment especially that used for testing ground red pepper
quality. From the Spanish party, one scientist came to hungary
for three weeks, who was going to get an ewerall view of Hungarian
paprika cultivation and also of most sectors of the Hungarian
horticulture. In the future of this connection, we are going to
make the exchange of csientists regular, and have started the
testing of Hungarian breeds in Spain and Spanish breeds in Hungary,
i.e., under ecological condition novel for the breeds.
Following the launch of the Spanish cooperation program, we established
connections with another foreign institute, the INRA Research
station in Montfavet, where mainly genetic research for setting
up the genetic map of paprika is performed and lines resistant
to viral and fungal diseases are developed. During the year spent
there, I attained the RAPD and RFLP methods. As soon as the necessary
financial and technical background is provided, this will enable
us to study the Hungarian genetic material and, this way (perhaps
with other Hungarian research institutions), to joint the development
of the intraspecific genetic map of paprika and to become participant
of the leading finally to practical based on molecular markers.
At the same time, we are already having the F1 hybrids from crossing
Hungarian and INRA lines. These serve as the base ot the breeding
new varieties, started in 1998, which retain the existing good
inner content characteristics but having increased resistance.
The mutual exchange of genetic material allows us to launch several
new breeding and technology programs with the French collegues
in the near future, involving also the Spanish partner. Our aim
is to bring new sorts, with excellent qualitative parameters and
favourable resistance characteristics, on the domestic and the
Mediterranean market.
the third field of cooperation of the Szeged unit is the study
of the effect of climatic factors on the yield and inner content
value of paprika breeds. To this end, connections with Portuguese
colleagues have been set up. Based on the bilateral agreement
between the governments of Hungary and Portugal, next year we
are going to start a program, with scientists of the Lisbon Agricultural
University (ISA Lisboa) for mathematical modelling of the dependence
of the inner content parameters of red pepper on environmental
factors. We hope that within this program we will be able to set
up a small-scale variety test in Portugal which can turn out to
be profitable in the future.
After lengthy preparations, the registration procedure for four
Hongarian varieties (3 of them from Szeged) were started in 1996,
together with the necessary small-scale and intermediate-scale
experiments. If our expectations are met, seed production for
larger areas and breeding new varieties more adapted to the local
conditions can be commenced, based on the Hungarian genetic resources.
As the demands on the Australian seed market are different from
the Hungarian - there is more need and liquid demand for hybrid
spice paprika seeds - we cannot exclude that, bad
spice paprika seeds - we cannot exclude that, based on Hungarian
and French experiences, the Hungarian hybrid paprika seeds will
in the future be produced at the University of Sydney College
of Science and Technology.
The primary goal of the cooperations mentioned here is to test
the growing of Hungarian varieties under various conditions, so
that, if the tests are succesful, seedsof sorts bred by us be
purchased in greater amounts for production of ground red pepper,
oleoresin, food colouring or pulp. This kind of cooperation is
also very important because its profit will improve the conditions
of Hungarian research and breeding. Thus, experiments with growers
in India and Togo. Here we expect valuable data on the behaviour
of the varieties bred in temperate continental climate under subtropical
and tropical conditions. in the last time, we have had a similar
offer from Peru.
With the aid of the already operative Spanish cooperation, the scientists in Szeged had an overview of the red pepper production and breeding of the Mediterranean basin, and of the quality and other demands of the local processing industry concerning the raw material. This will help us to contact our Spanish partners with clear-cut ideas for a possible joint breeding program.
Our experiences in France help us first of all to introduce new biotechnolo in France help us first of all to introduce new biotechnological (cell and tissue culture) and genetic (gene mapping) methods, not used in conventional breeding, into breeding for new varieties or for resistance. We can hope that, with the start-up plant populations produced jointly, a longer-term cooperation for inner content parameter research can be commenced.
In case of the Australian cooperation, we expect in the long run
the improvement of the financial conditions of research. With
he same goal, we contacted numerous other companies, whereas the
Portuguese connection has for us primarily a scientific importance.
Based on the above, one can state in the last years a new epoch
in the spice paprika breeding in Szeged commenced. From our developing
international connections we expect that the breeding of new races
becomes much more productive and efficient, and that we can increase
our variety registrations and seed sales abroad, improving this
way the financing of our research. Our cooperation with other
Hungarian research institutions will also be broadened and we
will be able to involve more and more students of biology or agriculture
into our work, providing this way for the next generation of the
Hungarian breeders.
For the results, the author is thankful to the following institutes and individuals:
1. Benedek, L. 1960. A szegedi fûszerpaprika-kutatás története. In: Délalföldi Mezõgazdasági Kísérleti Intézet Közleményei. Mezõgazdasági Kiadó, Budapest. 1962. 167-178.
2. Benedek, L. 1974. A fûszerpaprika. In: A Gabonatermesztési Kutató Intézet Jubileumi Évkönyve. Szeged. 73-84.
3. Pickersgill, B. 1986. Evolution of hierarchial variation patterns under domestication and their taxonomic treatment. B.T. Styles, ed. Intraspecific Classification of treatment. B.T. Styles, ed. Intraspecific Classification of Wild and Cultivated Plants. Systematics Association Special Volume No. 29. Clarender Press, Oxford. 191-209.
4. Pickersgill, B. 1989. Genetic Resources of Capsicum for Tropical Regions. AVRD Publication No. 89-317. 1-9.
5. Somos, A. 1981. A paprika. Akadémiai Kiadó. 1-396.
6. Szanyi, I. 1937. Tudnivalók a magyar fûszerpaprikáról.
M. Kir. Mezõgazdasági Vegykísérleti
és Paprikakísérleti Állomás
Szeged kiadványai. No. 14. 1-16.